

A Prophet is one who speaks the word of God. Sometimes they tell of future events, but most of the time they simply speak of the present. Wendell Berry is a farmer, writer, activist and prophet. (Although he would probably renounce that title.) I was turned on to him by Rick McKinley in one of his sermon podcasts. This is what I listened to again today...and I really need to let it sink in,
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front |
| Love the quick profit, the annual raise, |
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vacation with pay. Want more |
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of everything ready-made. Be afraid |
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to know your neighbors and to die. |
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And you will have a window in your head. |
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Not even your future will be a mystery |
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any more. Your mind will be punched in a card |
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and shut away in a little drawer. |
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When they want you to buy something |
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they will call you. When they want you |
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to die for profit they will let you know. |
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So, friends, every day do something |
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that won't compute. Love the Lord. |
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Love the world. Work for nothing. |
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Take all that you have and be poor. |
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Love someone who does not deserve it. |
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Denounce the government and embrace |
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the flag. Hope to live in that free |
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republic for which it stands. |
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Give your approval to all you cannot |
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understand. Praise ignorance, for what man |
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has not encountered he has not destroyed. |
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Ask the questions that have no answers. |
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Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias. |
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Say that your main crop is the forest |
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that you will not live to harvest. |
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Say that the leaves are harvested |
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when they have rotted into the mold. |
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Call that profit. Prophesy such returns. |
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Put your faith in the two inches of humus |
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that will build under the trees |
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Listen to carrion -- put your ear |
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close, and hear the faint chattering |
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of the songs that are to come. |
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Expect the end of the world. Laugh. |
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Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful |
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though you have considered all the facts. |
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So long as women do not go cheap |
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for power, please women more than men. |
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Ask yourself: Will this satisfy |
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a woman satisfied to bear a child? |
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Will this disturb the sleep |
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of a woman near to giving birth? |
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Go with your love to the fields. |
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Lie down in the shade. Rest your head |
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in her lap. Swear allegiance |
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to what is nighest your thoughts. |
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As soon as the generals and the politicos |
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can predict the motions of your mind, |
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lose it. Leave it as a sign |
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to mark the false trail, the way |
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who makes more tracks than necessary, |
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some in the wrong direction. |
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It's just a thought
Peace
Joe
P.S. For more on Wendell Berry, click the following links.
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